The present application relates to the technical field of seat belt height adjusters, which attach to a motor vehicle such as an automobile or the like, used in a seat belt system for allowing proper placement of the seat belt across an occupant's body and for remaining stationary during a sudden acceleration or deceleration of a vehicle.
Seat belt systems for vehicles generally restrain an occupant with a lap belt and a shoulder belt formed from a flexible webbing. Seat belt systems for vehicles may include an adjustable design that allows the angle of the shoulder belt to be altered. Proper placement of the webbing across the occupant's body is important to maximize the effectiveness of the seat belt.
Some products use a moveable clip to allow for infinitely adjustable contact points between the shoulder belt and the occupant. However, such clips do not provide adequate locking features to address the slippage of the point proximate to the shoulder of the occupant under crash loads. The slippage allows the guide webbing to shift and may therefore allow greater upper torso and head movement of the occupant during a sudden change in acceleration of the vehicle.
Seat belt systems generally include a moveable D-ring or automatic turning loop. The D-ring is mounted to the side of the vehicle and provides an upper pivot point for the shoulder belt. In some seat belt systems, the D-ring moves along a metal track attached to the vehicle frame. Such adjustable systems may be relatively expensive to install and generally require a button or lever that must be activated to adjust the height of the D-ring.